Seven months after Nissan bought a significant share in Mitsubishi, Carlos Ghosn has outlined plans for both Nissan and Mitsubishi in the ASEAN region. Ghosn, chairman of both Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors, sees great potential in the region as he sees growth and market shares are 'way below' expectations.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Ghosn said the two Japanese automakers have to cooperate if they plan to take a significant market share from Toyota in the region. Last year, Nissan held a five percent market share in ASEAN while Mitsubishi was at seven percent. These figures are from the latest Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities study.

Ghosn wants to boost the regional market share of the two brands by pooling technologies, as well as logistics. “By working together we are going to be able to strengthen product offer, localization; A lot of things that are going to make both companies much better and much more competitive in the Southeast of Asia,” said Ghosn. He adds that the Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance will increase capacity, usage and efficiency of the facilities and plants in the region.

The chairman believes there is another avenue for a greater market share in ASEAN. Ghosn is ready to push through with introducing more hybrids and EVs (electric vehicles) in the region once governments begin offering support. He adds that, as soon as support is granted, these type of vehicles will be released in Southeast Asia. At the moment, both automakers offer a variety of hybrids and EVs in their home market and has shown a strong following in certain Western markets as well.